Malzahn Names Johnson AU's No. 1 Quarterback

Mark Murphy

04/20/2015

Junior Jeremy Johnson will move from understudy to starter for the 2015 season at the quarterback position.

Auburn, Ala.--Coach Gus Malzahn announced on Monday as his Auburn football team is wrapping up spring practice that junior Jeremy Johnson, as expected, will take over for Nick Marshall as starting quarterback.

Johnson is 6-5, 230 pounds from Carver High in Montgomery where he was named Alabama Mr. Football as a senior.

He played in six games as a true freshman and started once as the No. 2 quarterback behind Marshall as the Tigers won the SEC title and advanced to the national championship game. He completed 29-41 passes for 422 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.

With Marshall less than full speed due to injury, Johnson started against Western Carolina as a freshman and hit 17-21 passes for 201 yards with four touchdowns vs. the Catamounts.

Johnson is shown during his freshman season.

Johnson’s other start was during the 2014 season when Marshall was suspended for the first half of the opener vs. Arkansas. Johnson hit 12-16 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

For the 2014 season the quarterback completed 28-37 passes for 436 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions while appearing in seven games.

Johnson was impressive while running the first team offense in Auburn’s A-Day scrimmage on Saturday. He completed 14-22 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, all in the first half. However, he noted that he could have done even more.

“I played okay,” he said. “I didn’t perform to my best that I thought I should have performed, but I did okay. It was really about giving our receivers a chance and let them make plays down the field.

The QB said that his focus in the offseason will be on spending plenty of time throwing to those receivers. “It all comes with timing and this summer that is what we’re doing to work on, our timing throws. I have to give them a chance down the field. Even if they’re not open I have to give them a great ball to go up high and make a play.”

Asked about his belief that the offense can be strong again this year, he said, “I am very confident as long as we make plays down the field vertically--at least eight down-the-field plays (per game)--we are going to be very successful.”